'Clean' dairy turnover drops 10 per cent

Queenwood Dairy's owners have decided to stop selling legal highs after deciding they didn't want to profit from selling the products.

A co-owner, who asked not to be named, said his decision was partly based on religious beliefs.

"If this stuff is bad we shouldn't make money out of it. It's no-good money."

The man, who's co-owned the business for about three years, estimated there was about 80 per cent profit in the sale of synthetic cannabinoids.

He said now that he'd stopped selling legal highs his turnover had dropped about 10 per cent.

Customers who used to purchase K2 also bought other items so the drop in turnover wasn't just linked to discontinuing the sale of K2.

He's comfortable with his decision to stop selling now that he understands the harm K2 is doing in the community.

He was surprised that people from all walks of life purchased the products including those well-educated.

The business owner said because the products are legal, he thought they were safe to consume. "Of me and my friends who were selling it, no one had tried the product and we didn't know how bad it was or what it did."

He said as a parent he was especially concerned about the impact K2 was having on young people.

Constable Briar Hallam, who has headed up Operation Dairy which aims to recognise businesses that refuse to sell legal highs, was pleased to hear Queenwood Dairy had removed K2 from its shelves.

"It is exactly what Operation Dairy intended to achieve, and we would encourage any other business owners to contact us to follow suit."